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Curry Spice May Reverse Alzheimer's

 

Bright yellow curry spice not only may treat Alzheimer's disease, but also

lower your risk of ever getting it. The same pigment that makes this spice

yellow may help prevent Alzheimer's by breaking up the "plaques" that mark

the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients.

 

Scientists from the University of California Los Angeles and the Greater Los

Angeles Veterans Affairs Healthcare System found that the magic ingredient

is curcumin, a component of the yellow curry spice turmeric, that appears to

reduce deposits of beta-amyloid proteins in the brains of elderly lab mice

that ate curcumin as part of their diets, reports Reuters. Studies have

found that in India, where curry spice is a dietary staple, the rate of

Alzheimer's disease among elderly adults is very low.

 

It gets more interesting. One of the hallmark signs of Alzheimer's disease

is the accumulation of beta-amyloid proteins in the brain. When the UCLA

scientists added low doses of curcumin to human beta-amyloid proteins in a

test tube, the curcumin prevented the proteins from aggregating and actually

blocked the formation of the amyloid fibers that make up Alzheimer's

plaques. Co-study author Dr. Gregory M. Cole said that findings suggest that

curcumin could be capable of both treating Alzheimer's and lowering a

person's risk of developing the disease.

 

Curcumin is also high in antioxidants, a compound in certain foods that is

known to help combat fatal illnesses, including Alzheimer's, cancer, and

heart disease. There are two big questions the researchers have to answer:

How high are the doses needed to fight Alzheimer's? Is curcumin in high

doses really safe in elderly patients? A small trial with people who have

Alzheimer's will begin soon. The study findings were published in the

Journal of Biological Chemistry.